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PROSTATE CANCER SUPPORT SITE

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John Dadak and Johanna live in Florida, USA. He was 74 when he was diagnosed on July 24, 2009. His initial PSA was 6.4 ng/ml, his Gleason Score was 6 and he was staged T1c. He is undecided as to his choice of treatment. Here is his story.

My PSA two months ago was 4.4 and based on my primary doctor's recommendation, I contacted a urologist that she recommended.

The urologist did a second PSA at his lab and said it was 6.4**1 Based on this he did an ultrasound and biopsy. He removed 12 samples. Three came back showing cancer. He wanted to put me into radiation that week but I declined. I told him that I wanted to do some research first and that's where I am at.

Otherwise I am healthy. With meds, my blood pressure is low, my cholesterol is 118. I aggressively ride a bicycle every other day 12 to 18 miles each day.

 

UPDATED

September 2009

 

 

I had two PSA readings in the last month. One read 3.9 and the other, at a different lab, read 5.1. **1

I've been leaning towards Proton therapy and visited the institute at Jacksonville, Fl. After a day there , I'm still undecided as to what to do. I talked to several patients there, one who had the same Gleason score as me and with his urologist's advice decided to do the "wait and see" approach. However a year later his Gleason score went up and thus he entered treatment at the PTI.

I recently read about HIFU (High Frequency Ultra Sound) which sounds like a better way to go, however it is not approved in this country although 33 other countries are using it. It is , however, being tested by the FDA in clinical studies but who knows how long it will be before approval.

In another approach, I read where gene mutation plays a big role. Apparently a gene known as ERG and another one, PCA3, if relatively inactive in a man's cancer cells, a person with a Gleason score of Six, might be able to safely avoid agressive therapy.

I've made an appointment with another urologist, hopefully one with an open mind relative to treatment options.

 

UPDATED

January 2010

 

 

I decided to post my problem on the web and received a wealth of info on alternatives. After several months of research, I sought a different urologist, one with an open mind.

At that time I was leaning towards Proton therapy. It so happened that he has a patient that went through PT 13 years ago and is doing great. He suggested a "wait and see" approach with aggressive monitoring. I was seriously considering this but then the Obama Healthcare bill scared me. I seriously believe that a year or two down the road, the money won't be there for a man of my age. Consequently I signed up for Jacksonville's Proton Therapy Institute.

I have completed 35 of 39 treatments and all is well. The people up here are fantastic and I'm going to miss them when I leave next week. Other than being a bit fatigued more than normal and some urinary burning, I have no side effects. There are men being treated here from all over the world. Treatments are conducted every 15 minutes on three gantries from 6 AM til 10 PM five days a week.

There is a caretakers meeting for spouses and others every Wednesday at 10:30 am. At noon on Wednesdays there is a free dinner for all patients where you get to meet the "graduates" and new people as well as the opportunity to discuss your progress with the other patients if you so desire. They also announce activities in the local area for the upcoming week including dinner plans at local restaurants for those who wish to participate.

If you have to have treatment, this is the place to do it as the overall experience has been great and we have met some fantastic people who will be our friends for life.

John's e-mail address is: dsnobird7@bellsouth.net

Note: It seems unlikely that these test results would be directly comparable. It is more likely that they were done with different manufacturers tests - see PSA 101: [back]